


catching lightning in a bottle

by afire



Category: Descendants (2015), Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/F, basically a rewrite of the second movie, its gay kids!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 01:29:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11681187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afire/pseuds/afire
Summary: The voice in the back of her head, the one that sounds suspiciously like her mother, or sometimes Carlos, reminds her that ‘best friend’ is slowly becoming more and more of a lie. Evie ignores it because she’s good at compartmentalization.(or: descendants 2, reimagined)





	catching lightning in a bottle

_“I’m not coming back, Evie, I can’t. I really tried to tell you! But I mean, I saw the way your face lit up when we walked through those dorm rooms for the first time, and I couldn't spoil that for you.”_

_“If you're staying, I’m staying too.”_

_“No. Evie,_ you _are an Auradon girl, and I am, and will always be, the girl from the Isle.”_

 

**...**

 

They don’t talk, after singing their feelings. Evie sits on her bed, and Mal lies upside down across hers, lazily flicking through her spell book. It feels a lot like before, but it also feels a lot like now, because it’s always been them, in a way. Mal and Evie, Evie and Mal, she can’t quite remember a time where she didn’t have her best friend by her side.

The voice in the back of her head, the one that sounds suspiciously like her mother, or sometimes Carlos, reminds her that ‘best friend’ is slowly becoming more and more of a lie. Evie ignores it because she’s good at compartmentalization. Instead she picks up an old rubber ball that’s lying by her bed, probably Jay’s, and chucks it neatly at Mal, calling a soft, “Head’s up!” the moment it leaves her hand.

Mal looks up, eyes flashing green, and the ball slows to a stop right in front of her face, dropping harmlessly back onto the floor.

“It’s not cheating if I don’t recite a spell,” she says before Evie can react, leaning down to pick it up and toss it back.

Evie shrieks on instinct, lifting a hand to bat it away and scowls when Mal laughs, letting her spell book fall to rest on her stomach. “Hey!”

“All’s fair,” Mal says through her laughter, though she hangs her head backward off the bed and smiles, upside down, and Evie can’t bring herself to stay annoyed.

She never _can_ stay annoyed; it’s Mal, one well-timed grin and she’s falling to pieces. On the inside, of course; if there’s one thing her mother taught her it was to never let anyone see how she really feels. Evie’s working her way out of it, these things take time, and besides, having a perfect poker face can come in handy, especially if she’s got things to hide.

And Evie always has things to hide.

“You’re wrong, you know,” she says, after the silence has lasted long enough to feel uncomfortable, the atmosphere a little too thick, a little too heavy. Mal looks up in surprise, rolling over so she’s on her front instead of on her back.

“What about?”

Evie sits up and drops her chin into her right hand, staring across at Mal’s perplexed expression. “You might always be the girl from the Isle, but you’re not the only one.”

“Evie-”

“I’m from the Isle too, Mal, or have you forgotten?”

“Of course I haven’t! I just-”

Evie cuts her off by standing suddenly, hands crossed behind her back and starting to pace the room, tracing her own footsteps, from so long ago, across the familiar floor. “I’m from the Isle too, and so is Carlos, and Jay. We will always be those kids, Mal, it’s not just you. It’s us, together, like it’s always been.”

And she says it with conviction in her tone because it _has_. It’s always been the four of them. Ever since they were young, even younger than they are now. Evie remembers being eight years old, remembers her mother telling her to run along and find something to busy herself with, remembers bumping into a bunch of older children who tried to wrestle her scrapbook away from her.

Mostly she remembers Mal showing up out of nowhere, a sickening crunch, and then being pulled away and running as fast as her little legs could carry her. They’d been inseparable ever since, and Mal doesn’t really fight Evie’s battles for her anymore, but Evie knows she would, and that’s really all that matters.

They’d found Carlos and Jay at the same time, behind the old abandoned lighthouse, huddled together and attempting to coax a crab out from underneath a crate. Mal had marched right up, stuck her hand underneath the old, damp wood, and pulled it out.

As it were, four eight year olds crouched in a circle, and spent the afternoon watching a crab scuttle around in an attempt to get back to the water. When they left the shore, they were already best friends.

So when Evie says it’s the four of them together, she means it. And maybe she means she and Mal have something else, something special, something more, but she bites down on the words threatening to spill out, slowing to a stop in front of Mal’s bed as her hands fly to her hips.

“We’re _all_ children of the Isle, Mal, no matter how much we look like we fit in. I have dresses, and Carlos has Dude, and Jay has Tourney, but we will always be children of the Isle, just like you.” She turns to sit next to Mal on the bed, reaching out to take her hand, “You just need a little more time to find yourself.”

There’s the silence again, and Evie worries if she’s said too much, if she should’ve just kept her mouth shut like she was taught to, but then Mal reaches up and yanks her down so they’re lying together, a tangled mess on the bed, and she laughs even as she has to grip onto the edge of the mattress so as not to fall off.

“Why do you always know how to say the right things?” Mal asks, voice muffled because she’s stuffed her face into Evie’s shoulder.

“Maybe because I know _you_. Now come on, it’s almost noon, we have to meet the boys by the Pipe.”

“Five more minutes,” Mal says, and Evie hums in agreement, figuring they deserve it.

 

**...**

 

Lonnie showing up is a pleasant surprise.

Lonnie showing up with enough swords for a small army in the back of the Auradon limo, somehow having managed to convince Jay and Carlos to bring her along is even better.

Evie’s aware that they’re here to save Ben, not look for a fight, but as she remembers, Uma’s got a whole crew of pirates who grew up wielding swords, and the four of them (excluding Lonnie because who knows what that girl gets up to) haven’t been in a real scrimmage in six months.

Suffice to say, they’ll need nothing short of a miracle to leave the Isle, alive, and with Ben in tow.

Her footsteps echo in the pipe, and she can hear Carlos and Jay behind her, with Lonnie and Mal in front. It’s dark, and damp, but Evie still knows where to put her feet, which areas to avoid because of cracks in the ground and piles of rocks hidden in the shadows. For a moment, it feels like she’s twelve again, arms wrapped around Mal’s elbow as they explored.

She’d been shorter back then, even shorter than Mal, before her growth spurt left her unsteady on legs that were suddenly too long and she had had to readjust to her new centre of gravity.

Evie remembers creeping slowly along the edge of the pipe, keeping close to the walls, fists clenched so tight she’d left half-moon indents on her palms. It had seemed so much larger, so much more forbidden, especially when they reached the centre and the only source of light was Mal’s glowing, green eyes.

“Don’t let go,” Evie had said, trying her hardest to will her voice to stop shaking. She’d never been afraid of the dark, you’d never survive on the Isle if you were, but she can’t deny that she _was_ scared that day, and the only thing that kept her from cutting her losses and running was Mal’s hand on her arm, warm and reassuring.

Mal hadn’t spoken until they reached the end of the pipe, jumping down to land lightly on the gravel, letting sunlight wash over their skin. “I will never let you go,” she’d said, and it sounded a lot like a promise, the kind that you keep forever.

And, even at twelve years old, Evie knew promises like these, like the one that Mal was making right now, were dangerous, because on the Isle, it’s survival of the fittest, every villain for themselves. The fact that Mal was _promising_ to always be there, her voice fierce with conviction, green eyes bright in the afternoon sun, made Evie feel all warm inside, like a balloon was expanding in her chest, like her mother said she’d feel once she found her Prince.

She hadn’t known the gravity of that back then, but she’s starting to think that she knows now.

They’re nearing the end of the pipe, and when Evie reaches the edge, Mal stretches up to take her hand and help her down, moving entirely on instinct. She shifts her weight to her back foot automatically, arms open and ready to catch Evie if she stumbles. It’s a perfect mirror image of what happened when they were younger and Evie is struck by how much hasn’t changed.

They’re five years older, and have spent the last six months living in Auradon, but deep down they’re still Mal and Evie. They’re still the same two girls who decided that exploring an old, rusted pipe would be a fun afternoon activity, and Mal has kept her promise, to this day. Evie’s foot catches on a rock and she trips forward, trying desperately to find her balance, but she doesn’t have to, because Mal is there to steady her, like she always has been, like she always will be.

Evie is falling further and further into her cesspool of messy feelings, but for once, she finds that she doesn’t mind. So she’s a little in love, there’s nothing wrong with that. The balloon expands in her chest and she smiles because her mother was wrong, it’s not a prince that will make her happy, it’s a short, bright-eyed fairy princess with a penchant for finding trouble.

Who knew?

 

**...**

 

They arrive at the ship and everything falls to pieces a lot faster that she thought it would.

At first, it seems like the plan is working. Mal approaches Uma with the surprisingly convincing replica of the wand and all the pirates surge forward, eager for a glimpse. Uma flings her arms out to stop them from tripping too close and, in a haughty voice, demands to see it in action.

For a moment, Evie freezes, but Carlos pulls on her arm and she follows his line of sight to see Dude sitting a couple of paces away, scratching at his right ear. Mal glances back at them, and both she and Carlos subtly tilt their heads toward the dog.

It works, Mal mutters some fake spell she made up on the spot and Dude asks whether the vest makes him look fat. Evie doesn’t think so but it’s really not the time to be commenting on Carlos’ dog’s fashion choices. Mal holds the wand out, and Harry Hook manhandles Ben forward for the exchange to be made.

The moment Mal’s got hold of Ben’s hand, they’re inching backwards, ready to leave before Uma can find out the wand is a fake.

Of course, things never go their way, so that’s how Evie finds herself standing on top of an old crate and in the middle of a swordfight. It’s been a while since she’s had to even hold a sword, and she’s a little rusty, but clearly able to hold her own against Uma’s crew, which is a feat in and of itself.

The five of them, including Lonnie, juggle Ben between them, trying their best to push him back toward the pipe whilst keeping the pirates off him. Evie can see Mal facing off with Uma on board the ship, but doesn’t have time to even consider jumping down to help her before someone steps in front of her and makes a clumsy swipe at her left ear.

It’s that kid they met back in the alleyway, son of Gaston, was it? She can’t remember, but it doesn’t matter because she’s never going to see his face again, anyway. Their swords crash together with a metallic clang and Evie spins to the left, letting his momentum carry him straight into the crate.

“See you never,” she calls over her shoulder, stepping forward to intercept when Jay pushes Ben in the general direction of the pipe and overshoots. She ushers him through the entrance, sliding out of the way when Carlos and Jay sprint toward her and both jump up into the pipe one after another in quick succession. Evie turns to see Lonnie, who’s holding not one but two swords, expertly fend off three pirates at once before executing a perfect backflip up onto the metal.

She reminds herself to thank the girl later, maybe a discount on her Cotillion dress.

“Mal! Come on!”

Evie hops up into the pipe, reaching out for Mal when she darts into view, pulling her best friend up beside her. Mal kicks viciously out at the bridge connecting the pipe to the ship, and they both watch as it crashes down into the water, leaving Uma and her crew stranded on board.

“Let’s go,” Mal says, tugging at Evie’s hand as she starts to make her way back toward the limo. Evie spares Uma another glance, taking note of the look of pure rage on her face, before turning to follow.

 

**...**

 

The swords get thrown into the trunk and Mal and Evie both slide into the backseat opposite Carlos and Ben, who are sitting with Dude in between them. The moment the door is closed, Jay flattens his foot on the accelerator and they shoot forward. There’s a couple of seconds of silence where they all hold their breath, then simultaneously exhale when the golden bridge appears and they’re on their way back to Auradon.

The atmosphere in the back of the limo is a little tense and a lot uncomfortable, Evie tries to subtly shift away from Mal before Ben’s gaze burns a hole through the side of her head, but Mal’s grip on her hand just gets tighter and she decides that she can handle ten minutes in a car with her friends, even if they’re not all on speaking terms right now. She’s the daughter of the Evil Queen, she can handle anything.

Back on Auradon, Evie hangs back with Jay and Carlos while Ben talks to Mal, pretending to fiddle with her gloves. When he leaves, she stalks up to her best friend, pulling Carlos and Jay with her. “We need to talk.”

Mal looks a little startled, but she acquiesces and they sit down right there on the grass.

“Alright,” Evie says, folding her hands in her lap, “spill.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Mal’s shoulders drop and she folds in on herself and it takes everything in Evie not to reach out, but she knows she needs to let Mal do this on her own.

“I’m a mess- I’m such a mess. I mean, six months ago I was, y’know, stealing candy from babies and now everybody wants me to be this lady of the court and I have _no_ idea how to keep up the act.”

“Then don’t.” Evie looks up, and Carlos is smiling that small, knowing smile that only he can really pull off, and she is so grateful that he’s here with them.

She reaches out to wrap an arm around Mal’s shoulders. “I told you, we’re always going to be the kids from the Isle. I tried to forget it, I really did, but those are our roots. We all did what we had to do to survive, but it made us who we are, and we’re never going to be like anybody else here, and that’s okay.” Evie hugs Mal a little harder, glancing up to smile at both Jay and Carlos. “That’s _okay_.”

“You don’t have to be what everyone wants you to be, Mal, you can just be you,” Carlos says, reaching out to pat her on the knee. “And if people dislike you for it then they weren’t worth being nice to in the first place.”

Evie pulls back a little so she can look Mal in the eyes, “I’m going to make a few changes to your dress, and if you’re up for it, _only_ if you’re up for it, you can wear it to Cotillion tonight.”

Mal nods, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Carlos stands up and Evie moves to follow him, studiously ignoring the blush that she can’t really blame on the heat. Jay falls behind a little, and they both let him and Mal have a moment.

There’s a comfortable silence between them for the first minute or so, and then Carlos sets Dude down on a ledge and tugs at Evie’s sleeve to get her to sit next to him.

“What’s wrong?” She always likes talking to Carlos, but there are outfits for Cotillion that need some last-minute checks and she’s still got to alter Mal’s dress.

“Nothing’s wrong, just- when did you fall in love with Mal?”

Evie startles, fingers gripping the edge of the wall she’s sitting on and adamantly avoids eye contact with Carlos. She briefly considers denying it, then decides that there’s really no point, and slumps down to rest her head of Carlos’ shoulder. “I don’t know, when did you fall in love with Jay?”

Carlos chuckles, and the sound is warm and reverberant in his chest; Evie’s missed him. “You got me there,” he says, before sighing, “I don’t know, it just happened. Like, I woke up one day and just realized it.”

“Are you going to ask him to Cotillion?”

“I don’t know, maybe? I’ve tried and every single time I just chickened out.”

Dude’s head pops up from Carlos’ other side. “It’s true, I was there.”

Evie laughs and reaches out to pat him on the head. “Well, if it helps, I think the feeling is mutual, in your case.”

“Really? You think so?” Carlos perks up, eyes lightening in hope and excitement.

“Definitely.”

“Alright then, let’s make a deal, if I ask Jay; then you have to ask Mal, because I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual in your case too.”

Evie stares at him, eyebrow raised. “She’s dating someone else, Carlos.”

“Maybe not anymore,” he says, picking Dude up and leaving before she can properly process what he just said. Evie looks up when he’s halfway across the courtyard and he salutes her with a cheesy grin.

“I’m going to go ask him right now! Better hold up your end of the deal!” He yells.

“I never agreed to it!” She calls back, but she’s smiling as she says it, waving him off on his quest, before standing up and dusting herself off. Mutual or not, her feelings will have to wait, because there won’t be a Cotillion if she doesn’t get everyone’s outfits done in time.

 

**...**

 

Later, when Evie’s hung the last of the dresses onto the rack, the door to her room creaks open and Mal slides in, flopping face-first down onto her bed.

“You alright there?”

Mal rolls over with a groan, flinging her right arm over her eyes. “I broke up with Ben.”

Evie freezes, hands hovering over the dress she was smoothing over. For a split second, something like relief flows through her, but she stamps that down quickly, because what kind of person is _happy_ when their best friend breaks up with her boyfriend? She clearly needs to put her own feelings on the backburner, maybe forget about them altogether, that would be good too.

She steps away from the rack, taking a cautious step toward the bed. “I’m sorry,” Evie says, reaching for Mal but stopping herself halfway, instead hovering at an awkward distance between the bed and the Cotillion outfits that still need to be delivered. “I- are you okay?”

“Fine,” Mal sits up, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes, “I think we both knew this was coming. He’s the king of Auradon and I’m- I’m just Mal.”

The bed creaks when Evie finally lets herself sit down, immediately taking Mal’s hand. “You’re not _just_ Mal, you’re so much more than that! And if Ben can’t see it, then he doesn’t deserve to have you anyway.”

Mal laughs, a low, dry, humourless sound. “It’s not him, E, I think we both tried too hard to be who everyone wanted us to be instead of just ourselves.” She squeezes Evie’s hand, “And anyway, I was never that kind of girl.”

Evie can feel the moment her heart sinks into her stomach, the balloon in her chest deflating as Mal studiously avoids eye contact. She’d been so _stupid_ , hoping against hope that Carlos was right, that the feeling was mutual and maybe, just maybe, she could ask Mal to Cotillion and her best friend would say yes.

Her mother was right, she’ll never have a happily ever after, not because she can’t find a worthy prince, but because she’s fallen hopelessly in love with her best friend and she doesn’t know if she’ll ever fall out.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay, Mal. Your dress is over there,” she stands and gestures vaguely at the mannequin that she uses for measurements, “I have to go deliver the rest of these outfits before Cotillion.” Evie knows she sounds flustered but she also knows if she drops the act she _will_ start crying, so she’s got to keep things together.

“Evie-”

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Mal, and it’s alright if you’re not because, you know, these things take time and whatnot.” She pulls the door open and wheels the rack of outfits into the hallway, cursing under her breath when she trips over a bump in the carpeting.

“E- hey!”

“Be back soon!” She calls over her shoulder, kicking the door shut and immediately making her way down the hall to the first door that’s around the corner, only stopping to breathe once she’s sure Mal hasn’t come this way, raising a fist to knock lightly. She’s okay, she’s alright, she can do this.

Broken hearts are, after all, her specialty.

Evie manages to shuttle off all the outfits she was commissioned for, a smile plastered across her face the whole time, but the act starts to drop when she blearily makes her way to Carlos and Jay’s room, their suits the last ones on her rack.

She doesn’t even bother to knock, just calling out a defeated, “Hey guys, it’s me.” There’s shuffling, a muffled thump, then the door opens to reveal Carlos, white hair messy beyond belief. Evie stares at him incredulously for a second, then decides not to ask, instead pushing her way into the room and dragging the rack with her.

She finds Jay sitting next to their 3D printer, a blinding grin on his face as he stares at what looks to be the blank wall. “Hey, you good?” Evie waves her hands in front of his face and he seems to snap out of it, blinking up at her.

“Huh? Oh- yeah I’m fine,” Jay shakes his head a little before spotting the outfits. “Hey! My suit! Thanks a bunch, Evie.”

Carlos shuts the door behind him before flopping onto the floor next to Dude. “Oh, did you tell Mal where you were going? She came in here just now looking for you.”

“Yeah, and she wouldn’t sit down, just breezed in here and started yelling your name and then left when she realized you weren’t here. I thought you’d gotten kidnapped or something.” He laughs, then promptly shuts up when Carlos shoots him a glare. “Sorry, too soon?”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Carlos gets to his feet, moving to sit on the table that Jay’s leaning on. “Hey, Evie, guess what?”

She looks up, narrowing her eyes at the two boys who are leaning just a little too close to each other, and manages to put two and two together just before Carlos starts speaking again. “I asked Jay to Cotillion! So now you _gotta_ ask Mal, we made a deal!” 

Evie stiffens, sitting down on Carlos’ bed and playing with her fingers. She takes a second to think of a proper reply but it’s obviously a second too long because when she looks up, both Jay and Carlos are frowning at her.

“Hey, you okay?” Jay gets up off his chair to sit next to her, and Evie can see him exchanging perplexed looks with Carlos. She sighs, and maybe her voice is a little watery, but she feels like she deserves to let loose a little, after the day she’s had.

“I’m fine,” she says, “but you were wrong, Carlos, the feeling isn’t mutual. There aren’t any feelings at all, actually! It was just-” Evie breaks off, horrified that she’s actually sobbing now, but Jay’s hand comes to rest warmly on her shoulder and she gives up on all pretences entirely. “It was just- just me being stupid, like always. I don’t know why I thought- never mind, it doesn’t matter now, anyway.”

The door to the room bursts open before either Carlos or Jay can reply and the three of them look up in surprise, Evie expertly swiping at her eyes to get rid of any evidence of tears.

It’s Mal, complete with messy hair and a girl-gone-wild expression on her face.

“Evie! Were you here the whole time?”

“She just got here,” Carlos supplies, getting up and tugging at Jay, Dude following behind him, “we’ll leave you two alone.”

“We will?” Jay asks, wincing when Carlos slugs him in the arm. “I mean, yeah, we will.”

The door shuts quietly behind them and Evie is left sitting alone on the bed, fingers twisting together, refusing to look up because her eyes are definitely still a little red-rimmed. The mattress sinks a little as Mal settles next to her, “I kept _just_ missing you,” she says, “I’d knock on someone’s door and ask if they’d seen you and they’d say you just left.” A beat. “Why’d you run, Evie?”

“I didn’t! There were Cotillion outfits to deliver.”

“Evie.”

“What do you want me to say, Mal?” Evie stands, whirling around and wincing when Mal flinches at the sudden movement. “That I ran off because, just for a second, I was actually happy when you said you broke things off with Ben and I hate myself for it? Because I thought maybe if I asked you to Cotillion you’d say yes? Because I’m in love with you and it _terrifies_ me?”

She collapses into the chair Jay was sitting in, dropping her face into her hands. “I’m sorry, you didn’t need to hear any of that. You’re not that kind of girl, I understand, I shouldn’t be blaming you for it.”

The room rings with a deafening silence and Evie is ready to get up and leave, go somewhere no one can find her and have a good cry before she has to start getting ready for Cotillion, but suddenly there are gentle fingers pulling her hands away from her face and when she looks up Mal is kneeling in front of her, wearing an amused smile.

“Evie, when I said I wasn’t that kind of girl, I meant a lady of the court. I’m never going to be that girl, the picture perfect princess that’s supposed to be all things good and makes the decisions and keeps everyone’s best interests at heart. That’s why I went back to the Isle, because at least there, I could be myself, because that’s what everyone expected of me anyway.”

“But- I thought you meant-”

Mal laughs, and the sound is bright and happy and real. “I didn’t. All I meant was I wasn’t Ben’s kind of girl.” She reaches up to wipe the remaining tears off Evie’s face. “But I could be yours.”

For a moment, Evie can’t breathe; all she can see is Mal’s quiet smile, her green eyes. “You- I can’t- what?” She’s usually much more eloquent than this.

Mal tangles their fingers together, and Evie can tell she’s holding back a laugh. “What I’m saying, Evie, is will you go to Cotillion with me? As my date.”

“But what about Ben-”

“I told you, he’s fine. He’s gone to talk to Lumiere, they’ll announce us together, and we’ll have the first dance, and then I’m all yours.”

“The court-”

“Will understand, I don’t have to be a lady of anything if I’m not dating Ben, I don’t have to be a lady at all,” she pauses, reconsiders, “unless you want me to.”

And for the first time since she left their room that afternoon, Evie laughs. It’s shaky and barely there but she’s laughing and Mal is looking at her like she hung the moon and maybe everything will be okay.

“Soooo,” Mal draws the word out, looking a little skittish, “you haven’t answered my question.”

“What? Oh! Yes! Yes, I’ll go to Cotillion with you! I’d love to!”

Mal smiles, all happiness and excitement, and Evie thinks she could sit here and look at her forever.

 

**...**

 

It feels extremely clichéd, but when Mal appears at the top of the stairs, looking stunning in blue and gold, Evie’s breath catches in her throat. They make eye contact, briefly, Mal’s smile widens just a little more, and if Evie wasn’t already gone for this girl she definitely is now. 

Mal descends the steps to stop next to her, and they both turn when the trumpets start up again, signalling Ben’s arrival. He looks like a king should, regal, and authoritative, and grand, and he’s ever the gentleman, glancing apologetically at Evie before taking Mal’s hand and bending to kiss it.

Of course, nothing ever goes like it’s supposed to, and Ben turns around to climb back up the stairs. Both Evie and Mal watch, confused, and then surprised when he pulls Uma out of the curtains. No longer in her pirate regalia, Uma’s managed to find herself a pretty silver and teal dress, and she smiles around at everyone as Ben leads her delicately down the steps.

What follows is a series of events that even Evie’s magic mirror could not have predicted. Somehow, Uma’s gotten hold of Mal’s old spell book, and it appears Ben has once again become the unwitting victim to a love potion. The boy has gone through a lot since he became king, Evie thinks he deserves a couple of days off after all this is over.

Fairy Godmother manages to remove the spell with some charm that dispels unwanted magic and Ben snaps out of it before he can make any royal decrees that just might kill them all. Uma being extremely angry because of that is to be expected, what’s not expected is her ripping her necklace off and diving into the sea only to surface as an octopus, or, well, half an octopus, Evie doesn’t think the details really matter right now. 

Beside her, Mal is practically vibrating. She lets go of Evie’s hand and backs away, eyes flashing green as she inhales and exhales in rapid succession. Before Evie can step forward and ask her what’s wrong, she’s disappeared into a plume of purple-grey smoke.

When the smog clears, Evie almost has a heart attack, because standing there where Mal was just a second ago is a dragon that looks strikingly similar to Maleficent in her not-so-friendly reptile form. It takes her a whole minute to realize that the dragon is, in fact, Mal, and by then her best friend (more than best friend?) has taken to the sky and is now hovering in front of Uma the Half-Octopus.

By now, Evie is completely drenched because Uma can’t keep her tentacles to herself, and there’s easily an inch and a half of water on the deck of the ship. In the next second, Ben has thrown off his crown and swan dived into the water and everyone gasps simultaneously, rushing forward to grip at the wooden railing.

Dragon-Mal is growling, steam rising from where her tail is dragging through the waves, and Evie knows they’re not far from seeing some twisted showdown, but then Ben has swum out to tread water right in the middle of the fight that’s waiting to happen, holding his hands out.

Really, there’s batshit crazy, and then there’s this boy.

“Mal! Uma! Stop! Back down!”

Uma laughs, a low, mocking sound. “What’re you gonna do, Ben? Splash me?”

The young king of Auradon is, apparently, not easily deterred. “That’s enough, you’ve got to stop! This isn’t the answer! The fighting has got to stop, nobody wins this way. We have to listen and respect each other, it won’t be easy, but let’s be brave enough to try.”

For a moment, the only sound is Mal’s quiet growls and the splash of the waves that Uma’s tentacles are conjuring. Ben speaks up again, reaching out, “Uma I know you want what’s best for the Isle, help me make a difference.”

Everyone watches with bated breath as one of Uma’s tentacles slowly unfurls and inches toward the hand that Ben’s holding out, but all she does is return his promise ring, and by the time they’ve all processed what happened, she’s gone, disappeared beneath the sea.

Carlos and Jay haul out the ship’s ladder and drop it over the side. Evie reaches down to pull Ben back onto the deck, jumping back when he hops down and splashes into the water that still hasn’t left.

“Hey!”

Ben laughs, and Evie is struck by how nice he’s being about all this, how he’s not bitter or angry, just accepting and supportive and kind. He’s exactly the kind of king that Auradon needs.

“Listen, Ben, there are a lot of kids on the Isle and they’re- well, I think they deserve a second chance, like we got.” Evie shifts from foot to foot, unsure if this is an idea that he can get behind. “Could I maybe get you a list?”

Once again, Ben surprises her by smiling so wide she swears his teeth sparkle in the moonlight. “Yes! Yes, of course!” He looks so eager, so ready to make a change, and Evie thanks every deity out there that he’s not the vindictive kind.

Behind them, Mal takes a loop of the ship before landing and disappearing in another cloud of purple-grey smoke, and when she steps out she’s a girl again, clad in a beautiful dress that’s the same shade of purple as her scales.

Evie needs to know if Mal gets a different dress every time she transforms because they need to capitalize on it immediately if she does.

Ben gives her a subtle nudge, and when Evie turns to look at him his winning grin has melted into something a little smaller, a little sadder. It’s obvious that he still loves Mal, but instead of going over himself, he’s pushing Evie along, ever the gracious king, the helpful friend. Evie hugs him quickly, hoping that she manages to convey everything she can’t say by wrapping her arms around his middle and squeezing tight.

Ben hugs her back, and it’s soft, and bittersweet, and more than she deserves, because she knows what it feels like to love Mal and not be able to do anything about it.

“Go get your girl,” he whispers into her ear, before stepping back to join the rest of their classmates on the dancefloor.

When Evie turns around, Mal is standing there, a hesitant half-smile on her face, looking absolutely gorgeous in her new dress. “Surprise?”

Evie laughs, reaching to pull her in. “Surprise indeed,” she says, “but we can talk about it later. If I remember correctly, you owe me a dance.”

“You’re drenched,” Mal says dryly, but leans in anyway, wrapping her arms around Evie’s neck and pulling her even closer.

“You don’t care,” Evie laughs, shaking her head so the water still clinging to her hair flies everywhere.

Mal inches even closer, leaning their foreheads together. “No,” she says softly, “I don’t.”

 

**...**

 

Evie’s alarm rings at exactly half past seven in the morning and, next to her, Mal groans, pulling her pillow over her head. “Nooooooo,” she groans, voice muffled into the mattress.

“Time for school,” Evie says, reaching to pull the pillow off her head, like she does every morning. “C’mon babe, we do this every day.”

Mal, who is now curled up in the fetal position with her head buried under her arms, lets out a long sigh. “Ten more minutes.”

“Nope.”

“Five.”

“Mal.”

“Two?”

“Babe, if you miss morning classes you won’t be allowed to do paintball this afternoon.”

And just like that, Mal’s up, yawning as she stretches. She’s wearing one of Evie’s old shirts and it falls past her thighs when she rolls out of bed, sleepily padding toward the bathroom.

“Don’t take too long! We’re meeting Dizzy before class!” Evie calls, hoping her voice carries past the closed door.

A muffled noise of affirmation sounds from the other side and she assumes Mal’s heard. Evie swings herself out of bed, pulling the covers up and making her way over to the other side of the room, where they’re using what used to be Mal’s bed as a second closet.

She sorts through the clothes, mentally putting together an outfit, and sets aside one for Mal, something she can easily change out of for paintball that afternoon, before picking out something for herself and then settling down to wait for Mal to be done in the bathroom.

By the time they’re both ready and out the door, it’s just past eight, and they have fifteen minutes to find Dizzy before they have to get to class. Mal’s carrying Evie’s books for her even though she’s said, multiple times, that it’s not included in girlfriend duties. Mal seems to disagree.

They find Dizzy just outside her classroom, the first one on the left in the prep building, and she jumps up, always excited to see them. “Evie! I’ve got the newest order of hairpieces for you!” She picks up the box that’s sitting next to her and holds it out toward them. “Oh, good morning to you too, Mal!”

“That’s debatable,” Mal says, clearly still not fully awake.

Evie reaches out to take the box, “Thanks Dizzy, and she means good morning to you, too, she’s just feeling grumpy.”

Dizzy laughs as Mal swats at Evie’s elbow, the only part she can reach while still resting most of her bodyweight on the wall she’s chosen to lean on. “Isn’t she always?”

“Almost certainly,” Evie says in all seriousness, dodging Mal’s second half-hearted attempt at slapping at her arms. “Have a good day in school, Dizzy! We’ll see you at lunch?”

“Thank you! And yeah, I’ll be there!”

They both wave her goodbye as she hikes her bag further up on her shoulders and disappears into her classroom. Evie reaches to pull Mal up off the wall and nudge her gently in the direction of their own classroom.

“Come on, sleepyhead, we’ve got Goodness 201 to get to.”

“ _How_ are you such a morning person?”

“The real question is how you’re not. We’ve been dating for two months, you’d think some of my good habits would rub off on you.”

“Nope!” Mal says, fighting another yawn as they enter the classroom and take their usual spots. “No good habits here.”

Evie sighs, pulling out the books they’ll need and shoving Mal’s under her head before she can collapse on the table, pushing a pen into her hand as well. “You’re lucky I love you.”

Mal grins sleepily up at her, hair flopping adorably into her eyes. “Yeah,” she says, “I really am.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Many, many, many thanks to Katie for being my beta she always comes thru always here for me what a girl, sorry my punctuation is so bad and every correction you made was about semicolons.
> 
> The title is from Lightning in A Bottle by The Summer Set, which is a brilliant song and y'all should go listen to it.
> 
> You can find me @underwcrlds on Tumblr where I post more gay shit; comments, critique and requests are always welcome, catch ya on the flipside!


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